Opinion: WHA deserves more recognition, respect

John Horan, Special to The Sun03.17.2016

Hockey legend Gordie Howe, 48 at the time, shakes hands with Bobby Hull after a WHA game in Winnipeg in which Howe's Houston Aeros defeated the jets, May 6, 1977. (PHOTO: Vancouver Sun files) [PNG Merlin Archive]

Two weeks ago, it was surprising that most news reports of the death of NHL great Andy Bathgate did not mention that he finished his playing career in the World Hockey Association with the Vancouver Blazers.

Bathgate was born and raised in Winnipeg, home to the original Winnipeg Jets, the most accomplished and dynamic WHA franchise in the league’s seven-year history. In the New York City media, where Bathgate starred for the Rangers for 12 years, the New York Times and New York Daily News made no mention of his short WHA career. Many news reports in Canada failed to mention the WHA connection, in addition to the syndicated article from the Canadian Press.

Ironically, all reports mentioned the famous Bathgate slapshot on Nov. 1, 1959 that caused goalie Jacques Plante to leave the game and return wearing a mask, the first time a goalie wore a mask in the NHL. Plante also ended his career in the WHA in ’74-’75, appearing in 31 games for the Edmonton Oilers.

Most reports mentioned that Bathgate edged out Gordie Howe for the Hart Trophy as league MVP in 1959. (Howe famously came out of retirement to play six successful seasons in the WHA with his sons Marty and Mark.) Also mentioned was that Bathgate tied Bobby Hull for the league scoring title with 84 points in 1961-1962, but Hull was given the Art Ross trophy on account of having scored more goals. In 1973 and 1975 in the WHA, Hull won the award as league MVP.

It leaves me scratching my head at the beginning of every season as to why the NHL and the hockey media so blatantly disregard the legacy of the World Hockey Association, the legendary league that burst onto the scene in 1972 with the signing of NHL stars such as Bobby Hull and then came to an end in 1979 with four of the original WHA teams being accepted into the NHL.

I think back four years ago when there was ample attention given to the 40th anniversary of the wildly famous 1972 series between Team Canada and the Soviet Union. There was no mention of the fact that “Team Canada” was actually “Team NHL” as NHL players who had signed with the WHA for their inaugural 1972 season were not invited to play for their country. Team Canada would have been a more solid team with players like Derek Sanderson, Bobby Hull, Gerry Cheevers, J.C. Tremblay, Marc Tardif and several others. Infamous attorney Alan Eagleson blocked any player with a WHA contract from playing.

One player who would have been on Team Canada in 1972 is Andre Lacroix, who had played the previous season in Chicago after leading the Philadelphia Flyers in scoring in 1969 and 1970. Wanting to return to Philadelphia, he signed with the Philadelphia Blazers in the rebel league’s inaugural season and led the WHA in scoring with 124 points. Lacroix lead the league in scoring again in 1975 as a San Diego Mariner, racking up 106 assists and becoming the second player other than Bobby Orr to have 100 assists in a season in a pro league. Scoring 100 points or more in six consecutive seasons, he ranks as the all-time WHA leader in games played, and by far in assists and points. His 798 regular season WHA points obviously can never be surpassed.

Andre Lacroix deserves a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame for being the all-time leading scorer of the WHA. In addition to leading the Flyers in scoring twice and his WHA records, Lacroix holds a unique milestone in hockey history. Despite being from Quebec and not speaking English, Lacroix played his junior career with the Peterborough Petes of the Ontario Hockey League and his last two years of juniors corresponded with the last two years of Oshawa Generals star Bobby Orr. In each of their last two seasons, the native of Lauzon, Que. beat out Orr for the coveted Red Tilson Award as the OHL’s most valuable player.

It has also always amazed me how memory of the WHA is brushed aside seeing that so many past NHL greats played in this competing league. Names like Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Dave Keon, Jacques Plante, Harry Howell, Bernie Parent, and Pat Stapleton, in addition to all the aforementioned stars blocked from the 1972 series against the Soviets. Also, so many future NHL stars cut their pro teeth in the WHA, with 17-year-old Wayne Gretzky’s famous 1978 contract with the Indianapolis Racers being an obvious example. Others on this list include Mark Messier, Mark Howe, Rod Langway, Mike Liut, Mike Gartner, Pat Riggin, Michele Goulet, John Tonelli, Ken Linseman, and more.

Other pro sports leagues have not washed away the memory of its competitor league with disdain like the NHL has done with the WHA. For example, the American Football League was started in 1959 specifically to compete with the NFL. This competition made pro football salaries skyrocket, as was the case for pro hockey when the WHA started in 1972. Finally, the AFL was absorbed into the NFL with 10 franchises in 1970. In 2009, the NFL celebrated the 50th anniversary of the formation of the AFL with a special Pro Football Hall of Fame game between two former AFL teams, which was the first of several “legacy” weekends throughout the season in which two former AFL teams faced each other wearing their old uniforms from the AFL era. NFL Films even made a special five-part documentary for the anniversary called Full Color Football: The History of the American Football League, which was shown on Showtime. In the 2009 season that marked the 50th anniversary of the AFL, the “legacy gear” relating to the AFL anniversary accounted for 30 per cent of the revenue of NFL merchandising.

Similarly, the American Basketball Association, founded in 1967 as a competition for the NBA, saw four of its teams absorbed into the NBA in 1977. While the NBA has not honoured the ABA in the same way that the NFL has the legacy of the AFL, the memory of the ABA is viewed as positive and not something that is in any way whitewashed by the NBA.

If only the NHL could embrace the memory and legacy of the WHA like the NFL has for the AFL, it would serve for the betterment of hockey. It is likely that more NHL tickets and more NHL merchandise would be sold. Also, the annual Heroes of Hockey game prior to the All-Star game could one year feature WHA alumni who also played in the NHL against NHL old-timers who did not play in the WHA.

No one would expect in-depth mention of Andy Bathgate’s one season in the WHA, but the fact that so many articles of his passing in Canadian and U.S. newspapers did not mention his WHA connection speaks for itself. In addition, countless other fans on both sides of the border that enjoyed the unique hockey experience of the WHA wish that this league would receive a rightfully better position in pro hockey history. The glaring omission in articles on Andy Bathgate’s death is actually in tune with the media and hockey establishment ignoring the history and legacy of the WHA. If the NHL were to somehow embrace the memory of the World Hockey Association, they would find it would be beneficial to the NHL.

John Horan is a public relations strategist with Cranbrook Strategies in Avon, Conn.

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Opinion: WHA deserves more recognition, respect

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